Desperate Flight
by Sparky Lurkdragon
Summary: A lone black hedgehog's already poor luck finally runs out...


Before we begin, two notes from the author:

Legal Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters are copyrighted to Sega and Sonic Team. Sonic isn't actually in this one, but that's where the related characters thing comes in. Please don't plagiarize this; you can't make money off of it, and you'll only humiliate yourself when you get caught.  
  
Review Request: If you are going to review, please review the content of this story. Tell me if you like it, and feel free to critique it if you find something amiss – I like both types of reviews. Please be aware of the difference between a critique and a flame, and please refrain from advertising your own story. That is spam, and I will become upset.  
  
And now, with that muck out of the way, Sparky the Seventh Chaos presents:  
  
Desperate Flight  
  
The protestors marched through the street, voices and signs demanding equal rights regardless of species. It would become a symbol of the times, this great march. Intelligent non-humans called Mobians and some humans wiser than their contemporaries had rallied together to cry out against the various specist laws and customs that held the humans higher than the Mobians. This protest would later be seen as the start of the Mobian Equality Movement.  
Another future symbol of the times – and of cruelty directed at those who are different – watched from his dark hiding place, a small alley, as the protestors marched by. They thought they had it bad? What a laugh. Let them enter his suddenly lonely and painful existence. Let them watch helplessly as their best friends are murdered in front of them. Let their worlds suddenly turn upside-down; let them struggle to survive alone in a world they barely understand!  
Often times, now, the lone Mobian hated them and their world. But, he would always remind himself of the talks he'd had with his best friend... perhaps they had both been a little naive, but surely their perceptions of the planet had to have some truth? Surely not everyone down here was bad? The Mobian had been confused enough as it was as to who he was and how the world worked without being alone, angry, scared and hungry... now he really didn't know anything anymore.  
The Mobian shook his head and looked out of his alley again. The protestors had passed, the line gaining new members even now. Since most of the Mobian side of the city was included in the march, perhaps he could find something to eat without getting noticed and possibly captured. Had anyone been around to look, they would have seen a pitifully emaciated Mobian Hedgehog cautiously look around and slowly walk out of the alley and down the sidewalk. His muted fur colors suggested ill heath; his normally deep black body was now almost a dark grey, dull red stripes ran on top of his head quills, along his elbows, and behind his knees, and a patch of longer, white fur on his chest was getting matted.  
The hedgehog walked slowly on, looking around for anything from which he could get some food, even a few meager scraps. Before he could, a voice called out, "Freeze!" from behind him. The Mobian stopped, spun around, saw a human in a GUN military uniform, turned and bolted. The human yelled something lost in the wind behind the fleeing hedgehog and shot a gun at him. He wasn't hit, but just before he turned a corner, his legs abruptly slipped out from underneath him. The hedgehog made one feeble attempt to get up and failed. He'd hardly eaten anything in weeks, barely enough to keep him alive, and he was in no condition for running anyplace.  
The GUN soldier followed the hedgehog's trail at a much slower run. The exhausted Mobian watched and started thinking again. As far as he could gather, that was why they wanted him. He was literally the fastest living being in existence and was a good fighter, as well. The GUN military organization was convinced that because he had been created as part of a science experiment, he somehow didn't have the right to run free. He was too dangerous and should be commandeered by them for use as a weapon. That's why they had destroyed everything and killed everyone he cared about.  
He hated them.  
Standing beside the downed hedgehog and keeping the gun pointed at him, the soldier unclipped a portable radio from his belt and said into it, "Project Shadow has been found. Request support to secure him and transport back to base."  
The hedgehog laid his ears back. "Project Shadow." They didn't even think to refer to him by his real name. To them he was a science experiment, nothing more. He couldn't possibly have feelings. Oh, how he wanted to attack that soldier... but his starving body was so weak and uncooperative....  
The soldier got some kind of response from whoever he had contacted. He reached down, grabbed the hedgehog's left arm, and yanked him to his feet with a curt, "Come on." Under any other circumstances, the Mobian hedgehog would've struggled free and ran; but as it was, he could barely stay standing even with the soldier's so-called help. He bowed his head with a scowl and let himself be led away.  
An agonizing walk later, the hedgehog was literally thrown in the back of a helicopter, armed guards watching him. The guards were probably more an unnecessary precaution than anything else; their prisoner could barely move at this point, let alone make an escape attempt.  
So, they'd finally caught him. The hedgehog had known his already poor luck would run out at some point, but this still came as a mild, grim surprise. He didn't know what was going to happen to him – but he was sure he wouldn't like it. These people had murdered his best friend, a gentle little girl, as well as more than half of the inhabitants of his old home... what would they do to get a reluctant weapon to work?


End file.
